Client accounts

A practice lead starts with the client record. The client name, industry, primary contact and billing terms give the delivery team an agreed commercial starting point. The account owner points to a consultant and the owning practice points to an organization. When a prospect becomes an active client, the team can distinguish a live account from one still being qualified.

An implementation engagement then links back to that client. The engagement carries its own manager, owning organization, dates and budget, so the client record does not have to stand in for a project plan. A practice can serve the same client through several engagements while keeping each engagement’s contract value and delivery result separate. The client count rolls up from those engagements for a useful account overview.

• Account context. Keep the primary contact, industry and billing terms on the client record.
• Practice owner. Link the account owner to a consultant and the owning practice to an organization.
• Separate engagements. Open each implementation from the client while retaining its own manager, dates and contract value.

• Account ownership. Decide who maintains the client record and who can change billing terms.
• Practice mapping. Link each client to the organization responsible for delivery.
• Status policy. Agree when a prospect becomes Active or moves on hold.

Agree a representative implementation for rehearsal. Use the same client and engagement across delivery, service review and billing. Keep the person who enters a record distinct from the person who makes the business decision when the team requires that separation. Make the ownership rule clear before a busy billing period, because a status alone does not explain who should take the next action.

Use a client with an agreed software rollout and a named account owner. Check that the active client opens the intended engagement and that the engagement points back to the same client. Change the billing terms only through the person who owns that decision. Then open another engagement for the same client and confirm its scope and contract value remain independent. A manager reviewing the second engagement should see the right practice and contact without copying client details into free text.

The reviewer should open the source record behind each amount and compare it with the engagement. If a correction is needed, keep the earlier outcome visible and explain the new one in the appropriate decision or operation record. A manager should be able to identify the client, the responsible person and the next action without reconstructing the history from messages.

• Active Clients — Check ownership and billing terms for clients receiving delivery work.
• Client Prospects — Review prospective accounts before opening a contracted implementation.

Start with Establish engagement and use implementation planning to rehearse the handoff with your team.